Posts with the label zedel
Showing posts with label zedel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zedel. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 April 2018
I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical, Live at Zedel | Review
I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical
Live at Zedel: The Crazy Coqs
Reviewed on Tuesday 10th April 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★
If you've ever wanted to be a musical theatre performer– you might want to see this funny and exaggerated show about landing a role, that highlights the many, many hardships you will face.
With music and lyrics by Alexander S. Barmange, this show, although highlighting truths, is a parody of the musical theatre world which cleverly mixes in famous melodies and lyrics whilst taking us on the journey of a drama school graduate, to a theatrical diva.
The songs are not masterpieces but are well written to exemplify things musical theatre performers and fans experience. The performers do a wonderful job of bringing them to life and showcasing their stellar vocals. My personal favourite was Suzie Mather who's stunning soprano voice, alongside her bubbly personality made her solo performances really stand out. Her song I Love to Sing was especially humourous. I can definitely imagine her being the MirandaSings of the Musical Theatre world!
Liam Tamne's smooth, buttery voice worked well in both his solo and ensemble numbers and his funny but truthful song about being an understudy was particularly memorable.
The ever dapper Oliver Savile was also wonderful, namely in A Serious Actor where he discusses the perils of being typecast in musicals and his number with Suzie about a crazy stalker fan!
Diana Vickers performed her songs well but did seem to struggle at times, especially in the more delicate parts of the songs. She gave a nice performance though and My Leading Man was very relatable!!
At only 75 minutes, I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical is entertaining and somewhat insightful into the musical theatre world but at times it did feel repetitive and a little try-hard. However, for something fun and light-hearted, especially for those wanting to break into the theatre world, it's worth a view!
I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical runs at the Zedel until April 17th.
Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Liza Pulman Sings Streisand (UK Tour), Live at Zedel | Review
Liza Pulman Sings Streisand (Concert)
Live at Zedel: The Crazy Coqs
Reviewed on Monday 26th March 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
One-third of cabaret group, Fascinating Aida, Liza Pulman is on the road once again with her show that celebrates and honours the icon, Barbra Streisand.
Liza and her phenomenal band The Stardust Ensemble, have created a vibrant 90-minute set which showcases Ms Streisand's fantastic career and musical style. Liza takes pieces from from Barbra's remarkable 6 decade's of music and weaves them into an entertaining show which fuses wit and personal anecdotes to tell the story of Barbra Streisand.
Streisand has a huge catalog of songs so of course they can't all be performed, but Liza brings together a variety of well and lesser-known pieces to draw together Barbra's vast career whilst making each and every one, iconically Liza. Whilst taking influence from Barbra's vocal technique and attitude to music, Liza is not a tribute act, instead she shows off her own vocal range and musicality through the stunning music Barbra has performed.
The night is opened with a pacy version of Don't Rain on my Parade from Funny Girl to which Liza added a jazzy, swung feel and set the tone for the night ahead. Throughout the night Liza is witty as she tells the story of Barbra's life alongside her own personal anecdotes which wind the two together as if Liza is channeling Barbra.
A personal favourite moment for me came a few songs in with an expressive and energetic rendition of Miss Marmelstein. Delving into the story Liza explained that Barbra has only actually been in two Broadway musicals (perhaps due to her self confessed fear of performing), the first being I Can Get It for You Wholesale. The show received lukewarm reactions until Ms Streisand stepped out in act two to perform this song, received an instant mid-show ovation and was catapulted to fame! Liza shows off her humourous side in this fantastic lament about no one calling her by her first name. Ironically, when this song was released by Columbia Records, Barbra's name was spelt wrong!
Accompanied by Andy Taylor's beautiful guitar playing, Liza gave a moving performance of Sleeping Bee before shining with New York State of Mind. After a brief interval for a costume change, Liza showed of her's and Barbra's diversity with an emotional performance of You Don't Bring Me Flowers. The Stardust Ensemble led by MD Joseph Atkins were stellar throughout and seemed to love performing alongside Liza. Their chemistry is evident and it's really lovely to watch.
The night ended with two of Barbra's most iconic songs, Happy Days Are Here Again and People, both of which were performed astoundingly by Liza who's vocal range and stability is impeccable. Her charisma and natural stage presence draws the audience in and her knowledge and love for Barbra Streisand helps the night flow in an entertaining but sincere way. I don't doubt that Barbra would be honoured to hear and see Liza's fantastic celebration of her music and career.
Liza Pulman sings Barbra Streisand is touring around the UK
Wednesday, 7 June 2017
Rachel Tucker, Live at Zedel | Review
Rachel Tucker (concert)
Crazy Coqs, Zedel
Crazy Coqs, Zedel
Reviewed on Tuesday June 6th 2017 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
Rachel Tucker is a superstar of the stage and is currently on a long awaited tour around the UK before heading to New York for a stint at the iconic, 54 Below. Now I knew Rachel's voice was good from the I'd Do Anything days, videos online and of course from seeing her in Wicked but I was completely blown away when I saw her solo performance last night. Rachel's voice is powerful, emotive, beautiful and her overall stage presence is that of a true star.
Rachel's set consisted of a number of upbeat songs to more balladic slow pieces with the flow from jubilation to tears completely smooth and seamless. The whole concert seemed so well put together and like a huge amount of thought had gone into each song and placement, it was really a night of everything. Opening the show with "Miss Otis Regrets", Rachel immediately created a bond with the audience and won over the room with her huge presence and personality.
Moving wonderfully into a rendition of "Candyman", Rachel kept the atmosphere bright and warm and set the stage for an evening of glorious entertainment. The segway into each song was done flawlessly, a sign of Rachel's stage training from a young age. The transition from "Waving Through a Window" (beautiful) to "Climbing Uphill" was particularly entertaining with Rachel reenacting a bad audition before giving a hilarious performance of the Jason Robert Brown classic.
As her special guest for the night, Rachel introduced Samantha Barks (who we all know I love) at the end of act one for a rendition of "Nowadays/All That Jazz" from Chicago. This was a particular treat for us Londoners who didn't get to see Samantha as Velma Kelly in Chicago at the Hollywood Bowl and it was a marvellous end to the first half.
The second half of the concert was just as seamless and brilliant as the first, with little anecdotes sprinkled throughout and an absolutely hilarious tribute to Tina Turner which Rachel explained was her unique selling point when she used to perform with her dad. Needless to say, the audience loved the ridiculously fantastic and energetic performance of "Proud Mary/River Deep Mountain High".
Samantha and Rachel joined forces again with a beautiful, heartfelt rendition of Wicked's "For Good" which was lovely to hear and joyous to see the two friends performing such a beautiful song in the intimate setting of the Crazy Coqs, Zedel.
Not only is Rachel's singing top notch, but her acting and interpretation of music is outstanding. Able to go from elation to heartbreaking sincerity in a matter of bars. Act two saw Rachel perform "The Man That Got Away" which was just phenomenal and left the audience in pin-drop silent awe. Rachel closed the show with "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and the Ed Sheeran favourite, "Castle on a Hill" which really summed up the evening and gave the audience the whole spectrum of emotions once again and gave Rachel her third and final standing ovation of the evening.
Rachel is just a sensational performer and last nights concert was completely faultless. I honestly couldn't have asked for anything more from Rachel or Samantha except for them to sing more and serenade me for the rest of my life! Rachel is truly remarkable, a joy to watch and a brilliant inspiration for anyone wanting to perform. If you get the chance to see Rachel in concert, or in any other show then 100000% take the opportunity as you do not want to miss the chance to be blessed be her performance of dreams and pipes from heaven!
Read my interview with Rachel here: https://goo.gl/FyfrTy
Sunday, 4 June 2017
In Conversation With... Rachel Tucker | UK Tour | Interview
Rachel Tucker is basically theatrical royalty, with a an impressive resume, an incredible voice and an extremely dedicated following. Currently touring the UK and about to start her second stint at the Zedel in London, Rachel was lovely enough to discuss what we can expect in her concerts, how she stays motivated, her dream role and much more...
What are some of your career highlights so far?
Wicked on Broadway, it was my absolute dream. The I'd Do Anything programme was a highlight, I loved it, it was great. Oh Wicked 10 is definitely the most recent highlight, it was amazing and a great night.
What keeps you motivated to keep working even when you're knocked down?
I guess the belief in myself, I know I can do it. I think people get confused with not getting the job, they think that it's a personal thing and 99% of the time it's not. It's just you're not right for them or at that particular time or moment for whatever their reasons are. But it's about remembering that it's not me, it's them. I mean not them, but their choice, not because I'm bad but because they don't want me.
Elphaba is obviously a very iconic role. How do you add your own spin on such well known songs and characters?
I try and approach it with a fresh look at it and as close to Rachel as I can because I think it's important to not copy and not be what everybody else thinks you should be and also because it's boring to do it the way someone else has done it when you're not being true to yourself. I'm a very honest person and I think it's very important to be honest with everything you think and how you approach the music and songs and interpret it as close to yourself as you possibly can.
You have a lot of repertoire, so what can people expect when they come and see you perform your solo concerts?
I like an eclectic collection of songs. I've grown up with old school musicals and entertainers and also love very current stuff like Ed Sheeran and I love standards, like some jazz standards. I also love modern musical theatre as well as the old stuff. So yeah, a real mixed bag. A real collection... and a few surprises thrown in for good measure!
If you could bring any guest star on stage with you, dead or alive, who would you pick?
Sammy Davis Jr, Bette Midler and Sting. Oh and probably Beyonce!
You've performed in a variety of venues both in shows and on tour. Do you prefer the bigger, elaborate ones or the smaller, more intimate ones?
They're all different, each of them brings a different thing. The intimate ones I think will be good to start out for me because they're more informal and I love that. You know, I'm not a formal girl, I love being casual and being able to see people and their reactions so that'll be nice. But I also love the big theatres where you have to look up to the balcony and get people joining in and singing along. So I like both.
You're taking this tour to Broadway with 54 Below, but would you ever consider touring it over there?
I think maybe in time, I mean it's taken ten years for me to be able to realistically tour the UK and these things I think take time so I think it'll be a little while longer before doing anything like that in America.
What's one talent you wish you could have?
I wish I could read music or play an instrument. Specifically the piano!
What are some funny moments you had either on stage or off stage?
Oh wow.... funny moments. I'm trying to think what ones I can tell you! At one point when I first did Wicked, I came back from holiday and I completely left out the whole bit of why Elphaba snatches the green bottle before 'Popular'. I literally couldn't remember a word of it and poor Gina Beck had to prompt me and say "was it because your mum was.....?" and she had to literally recite the whole paragraph and I just agreed with her. It was very scary!
Have you ever sneezed or got the hiccups in a performance?
Oh yeah completely. When I did The Wizard of Oz in Belfast, someone sneezed to me and I couldn't finish my lines cause I was laughing so hard. So absolutely, yes.
If you had a magic wand, which show would you do next?
Ohhh which show would I do next? I'd probably do a new show, a brand new show to originate and create a new role, yeah.
If you could go back to any era, when would you go to?
I think I'd go back to the 60s or actually probably the Hollywood MGM era like 20s or 30s
What is your go to karaoke song?
I recently went with my friend and I did 'Simply The Best' by Tina Turner!
What's the best piece of advice you've received or would like to give to someone hoping to get into the performing industry?
You've got to absolutely know your worth, know how good you are and be realistic with yourself and whether you can hack this industry. And think seriously if there's something else you could do then you probably should go and do it because you know, there was nothing else I could do and I think you've got to be very dedicated and very driven and passionate and care a lot about it. And have patience, it takes years and years to get anywhere. It doesn't just happen over night!
A huge thank you to Rachel for taking the time to talk to me. All of Rachel's shows at the Zedel are currently sold out but you may be lucky and get a return! All information about her upcoming dates can be seen here.
Interview by Olivia Mitchell, Editor
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